News publishers are moving away from advertising as their most important revenue stream, according to the latest data from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. In a global survey of 163 senior publishing figures, only 35% said advertising will be their main digital source of revenue in 2019. Display ads proved more popular, at 27%, compared to native advertising's 8%. Instead, news publishers will be focusing their efforts on driving income from subscriptions.
However, news publishers do see a supporting role for advertising in generating revenue. Over 80% of respondents said they see an important role for display ads, while three-quarters said the same for native advertising. This is significantly higher than other revenue streams like donations, e-commerce and events.